Dame Kelly Holmes comes out as gay after 34 years: ‘I’m finally free’ – OK! magazine
Dame Kelly Holmes has publicly come out as gay in a new interview.
The Olympic runner, 52, said that she “finally feels free” after years of living a “secret” life as she spoke openly about her sexuality for the first time.
The star explained that family and close friends knew about her sexuality for years, but she didn’t speak about it publicly as she feared getting in trouble for breaching rules retrospectives from her time in the Army.
The athletics star admitted she was “fully aware” of rumours about her sexual orientation but is now happy to be coming out “on her own terms”.
“There have been lots of dark times where I wished I could scream that I am gay – but I couldn’t,” she told The Mirror.
(Image: Getty)
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“I needed to do this now, for me. It was my decision. I’m nervous about saying it. I feel like I’m going to explode with excitement. Sometimes I cry with relief. The moment this comes out, I’m essentially getting rid of that fear.”
Dame Kelly confirmed that she is currently in a relationship, but didn’t give any further details, admitting it’s the first time she hasn’t introduced someone as a “friend or PA”.
Kelly said that she had secret relationships with other female soldiers during her ten years in the Army in the 80s and 90s – risking court martial if they got caught.
“Everyone knew who was gay, but you’d never talk about it,” she said. “There was this pub that had a back dance floor and a pool table and everyone we knew was gay used to go to this place. You could be yourself, then come back to your barracks.”
(Image: Instagram)
After struggling with her mental health in 2020, Kelly contacted a military LGBTQ+ leader to ask if she could still face sanctions for her Army relationships, when she was told she would not.
“I felt like I could breathe again. One little call could have saved 28 years of heartache,” she said.
She added that she first came out to her stepdad following a kiss with a fellow soldier when she was 17, saying: “I was confused and a bit scared of what it meant and nervous to tell him. But he accepted it straight away.”
(Image: Fairfax Media via Getty Images)
Kelly said she also dated a woman between the ages of 27 and 32, but broke it off in 2002 so she could focus on her Olympic training.
She specialised in the 800 metres and 1,500 metres events and won gold medals for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
The sports star was made a Dame for her services to athletics in 2005.
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